Warriors Overcome 3-1 Series Deficit, Beat Thunder 96-88 In Game 7 To Reach NBA Finals

The Golden State Warriors extended their dream season by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 96-88 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals at Oracle Arena on Monday night.

Warriors Overcome 3-1 Series Deficit, Beat Thunder 96-88 In Game 7

The defending champions, who won a historical league-record 73 games last regular season, will now advance to the NBA Finals, where they will face the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second consecutive year.

“You appreciate how tough it is to get back here,” said MVP Stephen Curry, who led the Warriors with 36 points, including seven 3-pointers. “That’s the one thing I’ve learned. You can’t take anything for granted because it’s such a grind, it’s such a battle against a great Thunder team that pushed us to the brink. So you’ve got to be appreciative of this accomplishment. And I look forward to getting four more wins.”

Golden State had been trailing the series 3-1, but rallied back to secure their place in the final round.

Curry shot 13 of 24 from the field, and added eight assists and five rebounds. Klay Thompson scored 21 points, including six 3-pointers. The Warriors shot 17 of 37 from the three-point line, and also set an NBA record for 3-pointers in a seven-game series with 90. Curry broke the individual record with 32.

Despite trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half and 48-42 at halftime, Golden State eventually overtook the Thunder in the third quarter. Curry’s rainbow 3-pointer put the Warriors ahead by 10 in the final minute of Game 7. After having scored 41 points in Game 6, Thompson missed his first seven field-goal attempts in Game 7.

Kevin Durant scored 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting for the Thunder, and Russell Westbrook added 19 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds. Both played for about 45 minutes in total.

A short jumper from Durant late in the fourth reduced the Warriors’ lead to four. However, Curry quickly emerged, selling Serge Ibaka, his 6-foot-10 defender, on a pump fake and drawing a foul as he launched a 3-pointer. The MVP then made all three free throws.

“That kind of hurt us,” Durant said, adding: “But hey, it’s a lot of what-ifs. We could have said a lot what-ifs throughout the whole playoffs.”

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who won last year’s NBA Coach of the Year Award, made one major change for Monday night’s game by starting Andre Iguodala at small forward instead of Harrison Barnes. Iguoadala also replaced Barnes in the second half of Game 6.

At the beginning of the playoffs, the Warriors seemed to be heading for disaster. Curry sprained his right ankle in the first game of their first-round series against the Houston Rockets, then sprained his right knee just three games later. After sitting out for about two weeks, Curry helped lead the Warriors past the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round.

As the final buzzer sounded on Monday night and confetti fell all around, the MVP cradled the ball with his left arm and pumped his right fist.

“I think anytime you go through a long postseason, you grow,” Kerr said. “The experience is incredibly valuable.”

The loss also opened the door to several questions regarding Durant, who is due for free agency at the beginning of July.

“I mean, we just lost, like, 30 minutes ago, so I haven’t even though about it,” Durant said. “I’m just embracing my teammates and just reflecting on the season.”

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for Thursday night at Oracle Arena.

OAKLAND, CA – MAY 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a shot against Serge Ibaka #9 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on May 30, 2016 in Oakland, California.